Bowling ball



Jam.v l5, 1946.' v l i R. R. DIE-rz ETAL BOWLING BALL Filed Aug. 24,1944 Patented Jan. 15, 1946 BOWLING BALL Robert R. )ietz, Dumont, andHenry Reitsma Hackensack, N. J.

Application August 24, 1944, Serial No. 550,994

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to improvements in bowling balls, the primaryobject in view being to provide such balls with nger grip meansobviating strain on the fingers and thumb, incident to imparting a liftor twist to a ball in bowling, there by rendering manipulation ofbowling balls less tiring than is the case with the usual bowling ballsof commerce.

Another object is to accomplish the objectives above set forth withoutmaterially increasing the cost of bowling balls or the weight thereof.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presentlyappearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustratedin the accompanying drawing, set forth in detail in the succeedingdescription, and deiined in the claim appended hereto.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating a bowling ball equipped according to myinvention and showing the plug in plan,

Figure 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section taken onthe line 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view in planl of the split ring,

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of the plug and ring detached fromthe socket.

Reference being had to the drawing by numerals, according to ourinvention, the usual bowling ball I is provided, in the usual laterallyoffset relation to the thumb hole 2 with a radial, iiat bottomed,cylindrical socket 3 therein extending into the ball to a suitabledepth, and a preferably metal finger grip-forming plug 4 rotatablyiitted in said socket and having a flat inner end face 5 for seatingagainst the bottom of said socket, and an arcuate outer end face 6curved in the radius of the ball l and flush with the periphery of saidball. The socket 3 and plug 4 preferably lie in a common plane with adametrlcal plane of the ball I.

A pair of parallel nger grip bores 1, of cylindrical form, are providedin the plug 4 in a common plane therewith and which extend for asuitable distance into the same.

The plug l is retained in the socket 3 by a split, resilient ring 8fitting in a pair of opposed, circumferential grooves 9, i0 provided inthe socket 3 and plug 4 adjacent the bottom of said socket, as bestshown in Figure 2. As will be understood, the groove i0 in the plug 4 issuiliciently deep to permit pressing the ring 8 therein so that saidring may be inserted in said socket together with the plug, inassembling, to snap into the groove 9 in said socket when said plug 4seats against the bottom of said socket.

In using a ball equipped with our invention, the lingers engaged in theiinger grip bores 1 may be adjusted relative to the thumb, and eachother, as occasion may require, since the plug 4 is rotatable, and thegrip afforded by the thumb and fingers thus varied to relax, or tighten,the grip if desired, in throwing, or holding the ball, whereby bowlingis rendered less tiresome and tendency of the iingers, thumb, or thewhole hand, to become cramped is obviated, all without interfering withdesired manipulation of the ball in imparting thereto the selected liftor twist.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suiiice to impart a clearunderstanding of our invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modicationwithout departing from the inventive concept, and right is hereinreserved to such modications as fall within Ythe scope of theappended'claim.

What We claim is:

A bowling ball having formed therein a radial socket, a plug-like iingergrip member rotatably tted in said socket, and means to retain saidmember in said socket, said member having formed therein a pair offinger grip bores.

ROBERT R. DIETZ. HENRY REITSMA.

